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Hello All,

I intend to run a small prelude for 3-5 PCs. It is intended that these PCs persist beyond this point in time to provide ongoing drama and involvement for other players, so it won't be appropriate for people to make alts for it. At the same time, please don't just throw away a decent PC for the sake of a prelude. If you've already got something good going on, then by all means, keep doing it.

The intended date for this will be at some point on the 1st for most people on the server (it'll be the 2nd in my timezone, which is AEST), the best time to be determined by the participants.

Perks:
- You will start a little bit deeper in the Rings than where the Drill is currently. Complete with associated keystones and keys.
- You will start at level 8, with a decent amount of supply and outfitting.
- You will be Evil or Neutral. No Good. For that reason (and others) Paladins and Druids will not be allowed.

Hit me up on discord directly if you'd like to participate. If not enough can make the proposed start time, I might postpone it to another weekend instead.

Prelude Premise:
"Ring Running usually requires a mountain's worth of luck. Sure, many make it through the Rings on the basis of skill, wealth, and maybe connections - perhaps even hiring ablative idiots to swarm through challenges - but the truly successful? The successful ones always have the most luck.

For the Grim Groats though, their relationship with Lady Luck has been distant sightings, followed by brief drunken flings, resulting in the unluckiest hangovers the City has perhaps seen.

Long, painful experiences from their starting point far in the Outer Rings.
Waking up at their camp in Ring 100 barely in time to avoid dying from the changes wrought there.
Running, screaming, for their lives through Ring 94 as it was obliterated.
Enjoying a large winning streak at the casino tables of the Drill, only to spend it all surviving the first Pallid assaults in Ring 92.
Going slowly insane in Ring 91 from struggling with the whispered puzzles, only to have the Drill solve it all through brute force for them.

Lady Luck has indeed been an on and off fling for the Grim Groats. However... with their latest find... perhaps she's shown indications that she'd like to settle down for the long haul..."

[Lady Orianna Sunpurse]

[[ :: Year 2 :: ]]

It was a period of reminders that the Peerage Ward has many enemies and many complicated relations with other Rings - and in some ways its singular focus upon the Count had blinded them to this truth.

After a diversionary attack in Ring 97 to lure out adventurers, the forces of the Pallid Prince launched a daring and focused raid upon the Peerage Ward itself, seeking one thing: a bride for the madman of bones. For whatever reason his target ended up being Lady Orianna Sunpurse, of the lineage Sunspyre, wife of Count Zarono Senuspsur and mother to the missing heir of Sunpurse, Phelan. In the end the Pallid withdrew, successful in their kidnapping, leaving many retainers and citizens of the Ward slaughtered.

Yet a strange few days were not over with the assault of the Pallid.

In the wake of the assault, odd whispers resounded from the Doorkeepers, before the Ward saw the fruit of such labours a day later: the return of Phelan Sunpurse, now calling himself Crowsong, surrounded by his "friends" and "guardians" - blatant Pondscum and some even more blatant Changelings - along with the notorious Jodfry a'Valar, smug like a cat that has finally received its cream. Though many of the "guests" were prevented entry to the Ward, the heir and his new Reeve, Cooper Crum, were allowed to return to the Sunpurse Manse. Sealing themselves away to deal with the inheritance, after the boy pleaded with onlookers for aid in the return of his mother.

Naturally all this has left many of the citizens of the Ward buzzing about the blatant scandal of an ancient House potentially now associated with Changelings. Many question whether this self-proclaimed Phelan is even who he says he is. Seeking leadership, and perhaps a reversion to tradition, many eyes have turned towards the remaining four major houses in the ward... only to be, in general, disappointed.

House Orza, led by Lord Anders Orza - one of the few mortal individuals to not only be well treated and rewarded by the Count, but to successfully betray him for more power - has clearly accepted the ascension of this Phelan to his new position for one simple reason: confused and distracted fawns are easy prey for hunters. Blatantly unconcerned without even pretending to adhere to the social niceties as his father Grigori did, it is clear that Lord Anders Orza desires the subjugation of the entire Ward. With Sunpurse so weakened, it is questionable whether there could be enough of a united front to stop him. His current right hand, Ser Manfred Japes, additionally seems uncaring. Instead focusing his attention upon a strike against the Pallid to try and claim the realm he deems is his: the entirety of Ring 92. None can claim that Orza lacks for ambition.

House Velstra, led by Lord Norbert Velstra, has attempted to keep to its old facades of apathy and excess in an attempt to deflect attention - yet in turning  such an obvious blind eye to the concerning matters surrounding changelings and House Sunpurse they have perhaps revealed their entire hand for once. It is quite clear that Velstra views having a weakened Sunpurse as useful to their needs. After all, it is not as if a child and a rusty old man from a swamp are in much of a position to duel in the political arena. No... much like Orza, the lions of Velstra smell weakness and opportunity for domination in the Ward after the former Bannerhouse's humbling. Perhaps no other than Ser Adrian Velstra exemplifies this more amongst his House, spending much of his time wheeling and dealing to maneuver Velstra to take advantage of the forming situation - and encouraging others not to bother with Ser Japes' and Orza's plans for dealing with the Pallid.

House Moonspear, led by Lord Lyon Moonspear, has also attempted to keep quiet, but perhaps for a different reason. Lord Lyon - another mortal beneficiary, like Lord Anders, of rewards for loyalty to the Count before subsequently betraying him - has kept largely to Dusk's Cradle, his attention clearly still upon planning his crusade to the Outer Rings to rescue his father, Prince Trystan Moonspear. What little public reaction he has shown to current events has been simply small smiles of satisfaction at seeing an old foe and rival completely broken. Destroyed by both its own choices and unfortunate happenstance. Many in the Ward claim to be unsurprised by this, given the self-proclaimed nature of his father's "Prince" title and the fact that such makes clear that Moonspear was a house in rebellion against the King long before the Count stepped out of the shadows... traditions for such a House are obviously to be used when useful and abandoned when not.

Finally, House Glitt has been left to stew in both its traditionalism and its relative isolation in attitude from its fellow peers. Lord Bernard Glitt cuts a lonely, aggravated figure amongst the Ward as he tries to reconcile his loyalty to a distant King and his disgust with what Sunpurse has degenerated into, against the fact that should he and his try to act they would almost certainly be stopped by the collective opportunism of Houses Velstra and Orza. Combined with the fact that House Velstra has mounted a very successful campaign of seduction against many of his highlanders, offering them soft-bodied, soft-handed, powdered men as husbands... it is more than enough to drive a man to drink, were it not for his solemn oath to his daughter that he would never drink again. It is clear that House Glitt will somehow have to thread a needle with their desires in the Ward - or perhaps consider yet another grand migration, like the one that brought their highlander brethren from Ring 94 to Ring 99 in the first place. At this point in time however, nearly anything seems possible.

All the while Count Senuspur and his Rubies have barely been heard from...

// Above content potentially likely to be subjected to editing and revision.

[2]

[[ :: Year 2 :: ]]

It was meant to be a new dawn for the Peerage Ward. Almost a year to the day since the Count first strode out of the shadows and abolished the ban on timekeeping, the rebellion commenced. An action that was intended to be a beacon of hope.

The light of said beacon was almost snuffed out the moment it was lit.

In a fit of jealous madness, the Vessel of Arrhenius, Vivian Servanus, was slain by the self proclaimed Augur, Aeryn Hastings, Witch of Oldspyre - an event that it seems the Mists, if not the City itself, attempted to prevent by showing all residents of the City visions of the matter as it was occurring. Yet it was not enough. In the end, the Witch was successful, though she herself was in turn slain. Without the Vessel however, the rebellious ward had lost their singular hope for obtaining the means of ending  Count Senuspur once and for all.

Fortune had other plans in mind however, as shortly after the Vessel's death, a new Vessel arose. A feat that was not supposed to be possible. One that seemingly happened all the same.

Sverri of Gnipir, adorned in bones, now exists as the Vessel of Arrhenius, the new hope of the Ward's future. Yet whispered rumours of dark deeds and favours swapped haunt both his footsteps and those of Ser Adrian Winespill of House Velstra for this miraculous return of hope. For such things almost always have their price...

[ :: Year 1 :: ]

From deep within Ring 94, a scream erupts. Inhuman, more akin to a howl - one of great pain, and fury. A wet, sickening howl... and then a rumble. The crunching of machinery. The clanking of steel, and groaning of wood. Where once it laid dormant, broken and burned in the chaos of that doomed Ring, it roars into action. Inch by inch, it struggles forward, breaking free of slag and rubble that bound it...

The Drill moves. The Drill lives.

A deafening thud of steel on masonry. It grinds, and crushes, it bends and breaks. It progresses... forcing its way through the next great Wall that stands defiant in its path. A pillar of dust and Mist bursts skyward, blotting the night sky, choking the stars.

The Mist whirls and whips about it, it seems to almost try in feeble might to bar passage. Yet a howl erupts, once more, and the Mist retreats...

The Drill churns, and bites at the stone, shrugging off the tumbling masonry that drops upon it as it makes its slow journey forwards. Crushing buildings, and toppling empty towers as it comes to a halt in the Ring of 93. A stillness reigns, as atop the great beast of war, an ambitious man emerges. There, for a time, he watches. He contemplates. On a journey that begun generations past, on a journey that ends so far from here. On ambition, and birthright. On fools, and madmen. On Kings, and the common man. He contemplates.

And the Mists swirl in anger, and fear...

And you dream, as you wake. You dream of a boy. A weak, and twisted boy. Sickness contorting his body with every cough. A boy that should not be...

You dream of something else, of someone else. Unknowable, unfathomable, unseen. A forked tongue whispers in the ear of a young man.

You dream of a sea. Vast, and dark. Of waves made of faces, of cracking thunder, with the screams of the lost. The sick boy turns his back. You awake.

Though a word lingers in every mind, sharp and keen. 'Doubt'.

((Shouts by Halfbrood ))

Registered pondscum already have a way out.

No.

RIP

Beat each other up in game instead, nobody needs to read this shitfest or moderate it for that matter.

[ :: Year 1 :: ]

It has been a few days now since passage has re-opened through the ruined remains of Ring 94, and news from elsewhere in the City begins to filter through.

Rumours rapidly spread in the wake of Whispers claiming responsibility for the destruction of Ring 94. That, in Ring 93, battles were seen between Orzans, Malagori, Wizards and Uld in the streets. That they all disappeared into one Tower.

And that all of them returned alive - some perhaps beaten bloody, but clearly nobody died in the course of events within or without.

Coupled with the Whispers made claiming responsibility, and a relatively clear picture begins to emerge from the heat haze of the pyroclastic flow. Somehow, some way, those four groups were responsible for destroying a verdant paradise of a Ring. To what end, few can understand.

After all:
- The Orzans are supposedly allied with the Count.
- The Uld have killed all that remained of their kind.
- Towertop and perhaps other locations in the Warrens had already yielded.

Only the Malagori's actions make sense, for the insane acting insanely is par for the course.

There are inevitable flow on repercussions.

Within the Peerage Ward, both Glitt and Sunpurse reach an uneasy truce, united in a burning hatred for Orza. Glitt especially - for they have lost their claimed ancestral homeland to Orzan insanity. Fighting on the streets is a regular occurance between the two Houses.

What is new, however, is how regularly Glitt comes out ahead in these scuffles. For what they lack in discipline and skill, the influx of highlanders has certainly significantly swayed the numerical advantage that Orza once had. Orzans now no longer travel in small groups in the Ward. For to do otherwise is to be discovered in the morning, naked, beaten bloody and tied to scarecrow crosses upon the impromptu highlander farms in the Ward.

Orzan affiliated farms, businesses and organisations soon face significant issues - some because of Glitt highlanders rampaging through them and taking all their goods. Some, because of underhanded Velstran or Sunpurse activities against the latest villains of the Ward. Some simply just... disappear.

Castle Moonspear and House Orza finds itself under a strange siege of sorts. The Orzans had always found themselves outsiders in the Ward in many ways and they are still a power to be reckoned with. However, now they are being treated as pariahs. As monsters. More so than even Sunpurse under the Count.

For tales and claims about the Count and his Rubies are one thing amongst the populace and factions of the Ward.

The reality of destroying an entire Ring for no gain is another.

For who knows? Perhaps they would do the same again to Ring 99 given a chance, all for a laugh...


---

On religious matters as well, there are flow on effects. Those of the Triune, already rocked by the destruction of the Grand Vestry, find themselves struggling to deal with local backlash and the weakening of their structural power.

With some of Orza publically claiming that it was The Promise's will that Ring 94 be destroyed, those that even mention the third aspect of their religion find themselves facing the fists of the angry. Some begin instead to adopt a heretical form of the "Triune" that more resembles old Nephezar claims about the Lord Departed and Lady-in-Waiting.

Actual Promise worshippers find themselves even more out of luck. The luckiest end up beaten and left in the mud, begging for mercy. The unluckiest are burnt alive, with their attackers screaming it was what was "Promised" to them by their God.

Weaker Malagori converts in the Ponds also find themselves in strife when night falls - often found in the morning locked in rigid, dying, agony, clearly chewed upon by beasts and strange plants bursting forth from their chests and skulls. Those few that survive are quivering, broken, husks.

Change is afoot throughout all of the Rings...

[ :: Year 1 :: ]

In the Rings, various changes begin to take place, as factions and individuals react to current events.  Within the Burgage, Sunpurse Retainers dig through the ruins of the destroyed Grand Vestry, watched over silently by individuals wearing Ruby red. They seem to be seeking something...

Within Ring 93, Towertop patrons soon find themselves with additional guards. After the death of his apprentice and the airing of dirty laundry through Whispers, it seems clear that sides have begun to be taken in the Warrens.

The roads from Ring 94 through to Ring 99 soon find themselves bustling with an angry convoy of Glitt from the highlands, making their way to the Peerage Ward. There they set up camp wherever they can find space. Many are seen clashing with those from the Guild of Lessors, and more than a few of the Guildsmen find themselves taking a swim while the upset highlanders find themselves a new home.

Finally, within the camp of the Count's Drill, mercenaries, retainers and more begin to gear up and prepare for conflict. Eyes turn both north towards Ring 93, but then also north-west to focus in upon the Silverspike.

For the Uld have been active of late, yet their final choice remains to be seen...

---

In the Peerage Ward, the dynamics have once again drastically changed. Velstra, long reliant on the prestige afforded to them by multiple Bishops of the Grand Vestry, find themselves adrift, seeking purpose and new power.

Glitt, once a third rate force of rabble, is now a first rate force of rabble. Their highland kindred swell their numbers greatly, as does their martial prowess. Sadly, they have somewhat reverted to their more chaotic habits of their drunken era...

Sunpurse seems internally split, with many of the older retainers seeking a return of focus to control and rule of the Ward. Others, however, find themselves drawn more to the glitz and power of the Rubies and Count's Drill.

As for Orza, few feel they can understand them anymore. Yet perhaps there is merit in the musing of drunks, for a popular story in the Weeping Flagon of late is a short tale of three brothers. One focused upon playing with fire. One focused upon a distant horizon. And one torn between family loyalty and a long standing dream...

[ :: Year 1 :: ]

As the final stone is laid in place for the Eryngium Fortress, it slowly comes to life. Strange misty soldiers begin to patrol the walls, guard the gates and man the battlements. In matters of violence, for those few incidents that occur, they are relentless and focused... yet when at peace interactions with them are difficult. As if something is broken about them...

However, what their presences makes clear is simple: that a proper defence by the Royal Court against the threat posed by the Count has finally been mounted.

Over in the Drill Camp, soldiers, mercenaries and hired hands all make ready. For much time now has the Count been mustering forces and supplies for the push ahead. At long last, it seems that all is prepared for another offensive against the "Jailer" of the Rings, and to claim what the Count believes is rightfully his.

Standing in between these two forces however is the combined populaces of Rings 94 and 93. For the duration of the construction of the Fortress and the Count's mustering, there have been diplomats and representatives of all involved sent forth into the neighbouring Rings.

Time alone will tell how much, exactly, they have achieved in their goals - and what, exactly, is to be the fate of their peoples and their Rings when the fight between titans recommences...

NPC isn't going to reward you, he just points you where trouble might be. Coin piles sounds odd, but also sounds like maybe your party had someone with sticky fingers.

Small sacks of coin would likely indicate they don't have unique variables and therefore could share them with another quest, meaning you'd get nothing if you did the other quest beforehand. I can probably fix that one.